“When it feels like the waves of life are going to consume us, we have a clear choice. We can look back on our stories and be bound by darkness, letting it take root and defeat us, or we can sing a song of hope that springs us forward in the middle of the mess and point to god’s protection and provision.”- Meredith McDaniel
Meredith McDaniel concludes Chapter 12 of In Want + Plenty as she encourages us to practice a spiritual discipline she uses between counseling sessions. Meredith takes the ten minutes available to her to sit in stillness. As a result, she re-centers and empties herself so God can fill her up. Then she can enter into her next client’s sacred story.
Above all, it’s not a selfish act to behave in a mindful way regarding our body. Or listen to what we need. Because, Meredith stresses, we desperately need to reclaim such moments throughout our day. In doing so, we calm our limbic system. also, stillness allows our prefrontal cortex to form logical thoughts. Thus, we calm our fight or flight response.
Finally, we must set free the inner workings of our soul. But, this process looks different for everyone, since it’s based on our personalities and seasons of life. The intricate features of how God knit us together always surface.
When the children of Israel made it through the Red Sea, they looked back in awe – and broke out in song. Desmond Alexander writes the following comments on Exodus 15:
‘In the light of everything that God had done for them, the Israelites fittingly worship him in song. . . . This celebration doesn’t simply dwell on the past. The song looks with optimism to the future, anticipating the settlement of the Israelites in the land of Canaan. . . . This is an indication that the exodus is about much more than setting slaves free. It is about the harmonious relationship between God and those redeemed from bondage to evil.”
Today’s question: What clear choice do you most often make – being bound by darkness or singing a song of hope? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Turning over every rock to find relief”
